Paul Calls Andrew Solomon

Get used to me fawning over Paul Holdengräber, the New York Public Library's Director of Public Programming. In an age of overwhelmingly underwhelming interviews, Paul does three things brilliantly: clearly prepares himself, asks thoughtful questions, and listens. Oh how much it matters to truly listen.

His podcast is so minimalistic and wonderful, and I recently listened to his phone call with another personal favorite of mine, Andrew Solomon (part one here, part two here). I saw Solomon give the final talk at the TED Conference in 2014, and his presence -- along with his mind -- is peaceful and riveting.

They discuss a number of things in advance of Solomon's newest book release. But my favorite piece related to travel, and the empathy that it both encourages (and perhaps forces). As he can often do, Solomon closes the first part beautifully, with a revelation he had a while back:

I'm not quite the person I thought I was, and this, I guess, is who I am.

Whether it's travel-induced or otherwise, that humbling realization is one I hope to have often in my life -- knowing myself truly and deeply, meeting vulnerability head-on, and never shying from authenticity.